McKean is FSU's unsung hero

February 11, 1994
Originally published by The Daily Collegian (Fresno State)


When it comes to the Fresno State wrestling team, two of the school’s most heralded athletes and one unheralded, yet justified other, comes to mind.

There’s 142-pound Gerry Abas, two-time All-American and runner-up in the NCAA’s last year, and DeWayne Zinkin, a 134-pounder who has rung up a 23-0 unbeaten season, including six come-from-behind wins.

But beyond all this rests senior Jeromy McKean, a 167-pounder who is not only leading the Bulldogs in wins this year with 31, but according to head coach Dennis DeLiddo, may be quietly having one of the best Bulldog seasons ever.

"He’s having a great year, which he should have done last year," DeLiddo said. "After he had that great sophomore year, he skipped his junior season. He didn’t actually skip it, but it wasn’t exactly a great year for him, either."

After a torrid 23-10-1 season as a sophomore in which he finished fourth in the WAC and received the Bulldogs Most Improved Award, McKean nose-dived to 14-13 his junior year but had a strong showing at the WAC Championships to finish second.

"He (DeLiddo) doesn’t want us to go out there and not do the job. He’s keeping his promise by making us stay in better shape," McKean said on his climb back to a stellar season.

That outlook has propelled McKean to a 74-31-1 four-year career record entering Sunday’s matches with Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Bakersfield at the North Gym, which will be McKean’s final home matches as a Bulldog.

"This year, it’s because I’ve wrestled more than anybody," McKean said in reference to his wins leading the Bulldogs. "Either the competition’s getting weaker or I’ve just got tougher."

Could be. After beginning his FSU career wrestling at 190, he moved down in the weight charts to 177 his sophomore year. He was slated to start this season at 177, but has since dropped yet another class to 167, where he now holds a 12th-place national ranking.

He’s always been saying, ’Coach, I can do it, I can wrestle at 167," DeLiddo said. "It must have worked because he’s out there now manhandling people. He always likes to get results."

The results have added up well: at 31-6 record, an 11th-place ranking at his old spot, 177, a 15-2 record in dual meets, three pins, and 66 points on the season.

McKean is also on a roll. He’s won 17 straight matches in a row since early January. The last decision he dropped came on January 8 against Oklahoma’s 6th-ranked Quincy Clark in the Oklahoma Open finals.

McKean credited DeLiddo’s brutal conditioning for the team’s improvement in being primed for success at tournament time.

"Now we’re doing less drilling and more live wrestling, sometimes for 40 minutes straight," McKean said. "We were supposed to dominate in the WAC tournament two years ago, but we ran out of steam. So (DeLiddo) is doing whatever he can to not let it happen again."

Zinkin-Abas-McKean. Two aces and a wild card. But McKean could be holding the trumps soon if his pattern continues.

"I’m feeling a lot more confident," McKean said. "Particularly mentally, and you’ve got to be prepared. When you’re nervous and scared, you lose a lot."

"As a sophomore, I used to get whipped bad by the seniors. So now it’s my turn. There is an advantage in having experience, and I guess now you could say that I’m peaking."

McKean, who finished second at last year’s WAC Championships, held out hope that the Bulldogs can once again come on in the tournament and put on a clinic.

"We should win the WAC, no problem," McKean said. "If possible we should have a good shot to take it."

This success hasn’t gone unnoticed in DeLiddo or McKean’s hometown. McKean is from Moses Lake, Washington, where at Moses Lake High he had a 64-4 career record.

He made two appearances in the state championships and brought home an individual state title with a 34-0 record his senior year.

"Getting (the top 12 ranking) was a big deal to him," DeLiddo said.

"He’s a local town hero back home, a media figure and everything. That means a lot to him. For people who like good success, that’s a good record."

DeLiddo also said that McKean, because of his 190-pound strength inside 167 pounds, is easily the class of the WAC at that spot.

"He doesn’t let up. He can go as long as he doesn’t gag, or gas out," DeLiddo said.